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A LECTURE GIVEN AT THE COLONY 
CLUB. NEW YORK, JANUARY 22. 1 920 

By 

WHITNEY WARREN 

AMERICAN CITIZEN. A. M. HON. HARVARD. MEMBER OF THE 
INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. 





Ladies and Gentlemen: 

It was my privilege during the war to have had many 
acquaintances amongst the Officers and Crews of the Italian 
Navy, to see them at work and to be in their confidence. It 
is a great pleasure to attempt in a few words to give an idea 
of the arduous task they were called upon to accomplish and 
the masterful way in which they carried it out. 

Throughout the war a new role was assigned to the Navies 
of the World. They had an irksome task to perform consist- 
ing chiefly in watching and escorting the Allied troop ships 
and merchant marine. Volumes could be written, concerning 
the work and romance of the mine sweepers and little subma- 
rine chasers, yet the spectacular side is lacking and even our 
American Navy only got a glimpse of a periscope, now and 
then, as it performed its mighty task across the trackless wastes 
of the Bay of Biscay and the North Sea. 

To the Italian Navy was allotted a role, which, while 
also quite devoid of the spectacular, was most important; and 
yet, as upon land, so upon the sea, for some unknown and 
short-sighted reason, we Americans ignored our Italian 
Allies; for months, after our entry into the war, none of our 
Naval Chiefs even went to Italy to confer with those charged 
with watching and conducting the war in the Adriatic. Only 
at the end of the war did there come a vague realization that 
the Adriatic was the key to the whole problem of beating the 
Central Empires, for, once the Austrian Fleet destroyed, it 
was only a matter of days for the Austrian Army to be forced 
to fall back to Vienna ; this was proved by the final outcome ; 
thus the way through Italy and the Adriatic turned out to 
be, as it always has been, the back way, and the only way, to 
reach Berlin. 

In considering what the Italian Navy actually accom- 
plished, let me first call attention to the fact that while not 
an island, Italy has as long a coast line as any other country 
of its size, and therefore in despite of an absence of many 
natural ports, the Italians have been always, perforce, a sea- 
faring people from the earliest days — not to the extent, 
perhaps, of the English but always to the extent of their needs. 

The Italian Navy dates from the time Rome fought Car- 
thage — then, as to-day, the Italian interests lay in the Mediter- 
ranean Sea, for throughout 2,000 years Italy has been purely 



a Mediterranean power. Unlike Spain, England, France and 
the United States, she has only had a passing interest in the 
Atlantic and other oceans. Italian safety in the Mediterranean 
has always depended upon the control of the Adriatic, and it 
was to regain this control, quite as much as to get back her 
natural physical boundaries on the north that Italy came into 
the war. 

From the day Italy came into the war until the end, I 
have often heard a malicious remark to the effect that — "all 
the Italians want is to make the Adriatic another Italian 
Lake." Well, if the Adriatic is not to be an Italian Lake, it 
will be, as it was during the war, a German Lake ! The Allies 
learned this at a tremendous cost. Now we have an opportunity 
to say to whom it shall belong, and it would seem a wise and 
safe policy to leave it in the care of our friends rather than 
to give it back to our enemies of yesterday, who, in all probabil- 
ity, will be our enemies of to-morrow. 

The maritime traditions of the Italians have been kept alive 
through all centuries since the Roman Empire. I have but 
to recall the names of Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi to 
bring up memories of glorious days. 

Long before Britain possessed an Official Royal Navy, 
Italian ship builders were world renowned. When Henry VIII 
laid down the foundations of the British Navy, as we know it, 
he invited Italian Ship Constructors to give him the benefit of 
their experience and advice. Coming down to the compara- 
tively m.odern navies, it is for over 60 years, that Italian Naval 
Constructors have been amongst the first to adopt new 
armoured devices. Ever since then they have been pioneers in 
all matters concerning naval construction and design. Italy 
was first in the field in combining the qualities of the modern 
m.an-of-war, namely, heavy armour, heavy guns and great 
speed. As long ago as 1874 she built battle ships 400 feet 
long, of 16,000 tons displacement, with armament of four 100 
ton guns, protected by 19 inch armour — and steaming at 18 
knots. At that tim.e the biggest British ship was the Inflexible 
only 320 feet long, with 11,000 tons displacement carrying 
four 80 ton guns — and steamJng at but 14 knots. 

Again, the first idea of the modern dreadnought was given 
by the Italian Naval Constructor Cuniberti in 1903, when he 
published an article, concerning what he called, "The Ideal 



Ship," armed with only big guns and it was four years later, 
in Portsmouth, that the original dreadnaught was laid down 
embodying his suggestions. 

I cite these matters to show that all Navies owe much 
to Italy from the imaginative point of view as far as navy 
construction is concerned, and, if we take into account the 
formidable fact that an Italian invented the wireless, we should 
have a definite idea, that, in the matter of modern seafaring, 
we are in great debt to our Allies the Italians. 

When Italy entered the war in 1915, the Navy, true to 
its traditions, took to the open sea and used every known 
strategy and inducement to persuade or beguile the Austrian 
fleet to come out and give battle — ^these efforts were absolutely 
fruitless, the enemy remaining concealed behind its fortified 
ports, and resulted only in the Italians loosing many of their 
units by submarine and mine warfare. Tactics had to be 
changed and for those of noble tradition were substituted those 
of the submarine and the spadissin. 

In order to arrive at their ends the Italian naval technique 
inaugurated many notable conceptions. Take for instance the 
closing of the Adriatic by a steel net to prevent the passage 
of German submarines into the Mediterranean. In comparison 
with the feat accomplished in the English Channel where the 
breadth was less than 20 miles and the greatest depth but ten 
fathoms, the Italians had to swing a net across the Strait of 
Otranto, a distance of 40 miles and a maximum depth of 600 
fathoms. Nevertheless in 142 days, the net was finished and 
the first enemy submarine was captured. 

The Italians are also responsible for a new arm of naval 
warfare which gave most brilliant results — that is to say, the 
armed motor launches which became known in Italy by the 
initials M. A. S. 

The M, A. S., as a unit of attack, was evolved from the 
special conditions which existed in the Adriatic. The Austrian 
fleet remained in hiding in its refuges on the opposite side of 
this sea, and, while it would not come out and give battle with 
the Italian dreadnoughts, it was, none the less, a terrible 
menace. It soon became apparent that the only way to destroy 
this fleet was to, dig it out. It was therefore necessary to invent 
a weapon able to enter the Dalmatian ports and attack the 
ships there. Admiral Thaon Di Revel, Commander in Chief of 



the Italian Naval Forces, gave a laconic order to build craft 
for this purpose using the expression, "and the smaller they 
are the better." 

And so was born the M. A. S. 

These motor launches were only from 12 to 30 tons dis- 
placement, armed with two torpedoes hanging on davits, but 
controlled by hearts of steel, ready to strike at close quarters, 
even as the Arditi of the trenches who use the dagger as their 
weapon. 

The difficulty in constructing these boats lay in the motor. 
It had to be extremely light, very powerful and absolutely 
silent. When the Italians finally solved the problem, the first 
launch achieved the speed of 25 knots to the hour. This 
progressed until at the end of the war they covered over 35. 
These launches cruised the Adriatic, keeping the enemy navy 
in constant alarm, to such an extent that enemy officers when 
questioned during the Armistice, admitted, that every night 
around the mess table would be heard the words, "What 
Will Happen Tonight?" and something always did happen! 

These tiny but insidious Italian units entered all the ports, 
captured the guards and soldiers, left papers and proclama- 
tions, telling the Italians of Istria and Dalmatia to wait patient- 
ly and with faith, for the hour of their liberation. 

They sank ships of all sizes, from dreadnaughts to sub- 
marines. The regions of Durazzo and San Giovanni Medua 
became cemeteries for Austrian ships. Beneath the waters of 
the inner port of Triest is buried the battleship "Wien" ; near 
the island of Premuda was sunk the dreadnought "Szent-Ist- 
van," while in the inner port of Pola lies the dreadnought 
"Veribus Unitis." 

This is all the work of the Italian M. A. S. The motto 
suggested for them by Gabriel D'Annunzio was, "Moment© 
Audere Semper" — remember to dare always — and this they 
have lived up to. No enemy port escaped attack. 

The first harbor to be entered was Trieste. Accompanying 
the expedition as pilot was Nazzario Sauro, an Italian from 
Istria, who some months later, taken prisoner by the Austrians, 
was hanged at Pola, guilty only of the desire that his native 
soil should once more be united to its Mother Country. 

On the night of June 9th, 1918, two M. A. S. under the 
command of Luigi Rizzo were cruising along the Dalmatian 



coast, seeking any enemy's ships which might pass that way, 
under the cover of darkness. Nothing had been seen and 
dawn was beginning to break. Rizzo decided to return to his 
base — Ancona. He was tired from the long watch, and sat in 
the stern of his launch, his head resting on a life belt, but with 
his eyes still open. The motion of the launch made his head 
roll from side to side and presently be became vaguely con- 
scious of, rather than saw, something which aroused his curi- 
osity upon the horizon. In a few moments he became con- 
vinced that it was smoke from several ships, and he thought 
at once that this must come from enemy destroyers, sent out 
to hunt for him, as, during the night, he had been very close 
to the shore and had probably been seen by sentinels. He 
thereupon ordered the bow of the launch turned towards the 
destroyers and prepared for attack. It was an audacious act, 
for the light was increasing with the dawn. 

As he approached, he discovered to his joy and surprise, 
that in the group of the ten advancing destroyers, were the 
silhouettes of two great dreadnoughts. He did not hesitate 
to play for the largest stake. In order to be able to attack 
his victim, it was necessary for him to pass the file of destroyers 
which surrounded it. This he succeeded in doing, lying very 
low in the water, as he did, and when he was near enough to 
the first of the great vessels, he launched his two torpedoes 
striking amidship ; two enormous explosions followed, the ship 
listed and sank shortly afterwards. Immediately a destroyer 
turned and gave chase to Rizzo's launch, firing at him with its 
bow chaser; with rare nerve he slowed down, and, waiting 
until the destroyer was upon him, he let go two depth charges 
into the sea. The destroyer badly shaken by the explosion 
refused to follow further, and Rizzo continued his course 
towards Italy, entering the port of Ancona with his colors 
flying to tell the people that another enemy ship had been sunk. 
Another most daring feat, was the sinking of the second 
Austrian dreadnaught "Veribus Unitis," which was accom- 
plished during the last days of the war, by Major Rossetti and 
Lieutenant Paolucci. This particular act was the result of the 
third attack that the Italians had made against the fortified 
port of Pola. The first was accomplished in November, 1916, 
by Commander Goiran with a M. A. S. of the ordinary type. 
He succeeded in entering the outer harbor, and having searched 



for a long time for the largest ship, launched two torpedoes 
against an armed cruiser, but unfortunately without result as 
the torpedoes did not explode. 

Lately I had the pleasure of making the voyage from Pola 
to Venice on a destroyer in company with the commander. 
He carried in his pocket, the two unexploded caps of two 
torpedoes, which he had found at the arsenal at Pola together 
with a description of his act in writing. Both torpedoes struck 
their mark but failed 'to explode owing to some imperfection. 

The second attack on Pola was made by Commander Pel- 
legrini in May, 1918, with a special and very cleverly imagined 
type of motor boat which can be called a "naval tank." It was 
constructed in such a manner that it was able to climb the 
barriers protecting the harbor, this by means of a series of 
hooks fastened by chains, on the principle of a caterpillar trac- 
tor. Pelligrini was discovered after he had climbed three 
barriers, of the seven, which protected the harbor, and fire 
was opened upon him by the guns of the forts and the ships; 
he was forced to destroy his launch and was made prisoner. 

And so, in order to pass these extraordinary defenses, 
it was necessary to imagine even something more ingenious. 
Rossetti and Paolucci invented it! What it consisted of, is a 
mystery: but what is certain is, that no modern means of 
defense is capable of resisting their invention. 

By patient work they successed in passing all the barrages 
and entered the inner port. At dawn they recognized the 
Admiral's ship ; they approached, and fifteen minutes later the 
"Veribus Unitis" and another ship anchored close to her went 
to the bottom. 

The Navy which possesses such men as these launch com- 
manders and their crews, ever ready to employ the means 
furnished or imagined by them, is a Navy whose weight thrown 
in the balance of the European War could make it turn only 
to the advantage of the Entente. 

Another very difficult task accomplished by the Italian 
Navy was the saving of the remnants of the Servian Army in 
the winter of 1915-1916. It has also turned out a thankless 
job, for the Servians have forgotten, very conveniently, what 
happened at that time. 

This transporting of all that remained of the Serbian Army 
^ — driven to the sea by the enemy and lacking all materials — ^ 



was a hard and perilous work that the Allies asked of Italy. 
All the operations were in winter and from open roadsteads at 
a very short distance from the formidable enemy base of Cat- 
tero. In four months the work was done — 260,000 Serbians 
and 10,500 horses were carried to safety without the loss of a 
single Serbian life. It should not be forgotten that the French 
and British collaborated in this work but to a limited extent. 

During the war, the 23 battleships, the 14 light cruisers, 
the 50 destroyers, the 103 torpedo boats, the 75 submarines 
and the 263 auxiliary ships which formed the naval forces of 
Italy accomplished 87,000 war missions with a total of 1,900,- 
000 hours of being actually under way. The percentage of 
time passed at sea was 71% for the escort units, 58% for 
the destroyers and 35% for the submarines, this figured by 
trimestre. 

Naturally, in consequence of such activity, the Italian Navy 
had to suffer losses. Its balance sheet showed at the end of 
the war, 5 battleships, 1 light cruiser, 8 destroyers, 6 torpedo 
boats, 8 submarines and 18 auxiliary ships lost. In the mer- 
cantile fleet the loss was even much greater, being 58% or 
considerably more than half of the total tonnage of the 
country's commercial fleet. 

The result of all this sacrifice, effort, patience and daring, 
resulted in the utter destruction or surrender of the entire 
Austrian naval forces, and the annihilation of the commercial 
fleet. 

To-day Italy has frankly considered her program of recon- 
struction and has taken up the work in spite of all the difficul- 
ties confronting her, such as the absolute lack of materials 
and above all of coal. She has faith in the star which has 
ever guided her and in the genius of her race which has never 
been in default. 

And now I feel it my duty to a Loyal Ally, to ask you, if, 
in view of the toll Italy has paid, do we Americans not owe 
her something; for, be it remembered, we were at war with 
Austria-Hungary, a great and powerful enemy, for almost one 
year actually, and 18 months practically, as we did not declare 
war on Austria-Hungary, for some mysterious reason, at the 
same time we did on Germany. You have heard the losses 
of the Italian Navy in this war. The American losses on the 
Italian maritime front were none. On land, Italy lost 500,000 



or half a million of men killed, and many more than 1,000,000 
wounded. This would indicate that there had been some real 
fighting. Incredible as it may seem, our losses on land on the 
Italian front in this mighty war, were, one man killed and 15 
wounded. When one knows these facts and one knows the 
guarantees Italy is asking for, guarantees so necessary to her 
safety, it would appear that at least we ought to see that it 
return for the physical sacrifices she has made, not to speak 
of financial, Justice be done here, and that she be allowed to 
protect herself behind her natural and necessary boundaries, 
both on land and sea, so that she may feel at Home and at 
Peace, even as we Americans feel at Home here, with the 
Atlantic (not to speak of Great Britain, France and Italy) 
between us and our ever to be enemies! 






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